Tag Archive

Dear President Obama, You’ve won. Congratulations. Honestly. As an independent, I had no initial horse in this race, but as a Afro-Latino, I’m proud that you’ve once again managed to claim the White House as yours, in a country where the bones, blood, and sweat of African slaves and Native Americans sit under the House you now occupy. Your re-election came at a high cost, specifically your dreams of a …

This post won’t serve as an anti-war post. I haven’t changed my pro-peace stance on any level, and firmly believe that our presence in so many foreign countries has less to do with actually promoting peace and more to do with increasing wealth for a handful of powerful individuals. My radicalism doesn’t mean I somehow hate America or want to jump to Cuba; it just means I conscientiously object to …

The commenters to my blog simply rock. Bivey’s whole response to my posit about education’s ulterior motives is a must read, but here’s a snippet just for you: I mean finding the right balance between acknowledging the power you and others have (e.g. at the end of the road, you still get to write the progress reports that go in their permanent record), figuring out how far you can go …

A few months ago, I was privy to a conversation my fellow colleagues were having about the state of education, and how the government doesn’t evenly distribute funds to ensure a proper, equitable education for all. One of the colleagues then reasons, “Well, they may not really want to give certain kids an education. Someone has to fight wars, clean dishes, and do the dirty work in this country, and …

Welcome to the first ever The Jose Vilson book giveaway! -applause- I’ll be doing a few of these giveaways over the next couple of months. The rules are as follows: 1. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post with the words: “It’s not about a salary; it’s all about reality!” 2. Subscribe to my blog either by e-mail or RSS. That’s IT! The last day to enter your …

Only a few years ago, I was so vehemently anti-war, I often got into verbal jousts with ex-US military men of all stripes, giving them side-eyes whenever they’d try to offer me positions in their corps. I remember when I was unemployed for a good 5 months, my cousin, an ex-Marine who just did a tour in Eastern Europe, told me of his fantastic travels and how great an experience …

More About Me

José Luis Vilson is a math educator, blogger, speaker, activist, and author of This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education. He has written and spoken about education, math, and race for a number of organizations and publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, CNN, Edutopia, and others.

This Is Not A Test

One of the most critically acclaimed education books of 2014 is now available via Haymarket Books or wherever books are sold. Go get yours today!

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